Deputy Matt Carthy: I move: notes that:

— drug dealers and organised criminal gangs are terrorising families, exploiting vulnerable young people and holding entire communities to ransom through intimidation, threats, extortion and violence;

— the activities of these criminal gangs represent a direct assault on community safety, with residents, families and local businesses forced to live in fear in their own neighbourhoods;

— drug-related intimidation extends far beyond those involved in drug use, with parents, grandparents, siblings and innocent family members frequently threatened and targeted over alleged drug debts;

— criminal gangs deliberately exploit vulnerable children and young people, drawing them into drug dealing, debt, criminal activity and cycles of intimidation and violence;

— recent deaths and serious incidents of drug-related violence have demonstrated the devastating consequences of allowing criminal gangs to establish a foothold in communities;

— drug dealers must not be allowed to exercise control over streets, housing estates or neighbourhoods, and no community should be abandoned to organised criminality; and

— recognises that while drug-related intimidation affects all communities, its impact is often most acute in areas already experiencing persistent poverty, social exclusion, educational disadvantage, unemployment and historic underinvestment, where organised criminal gangs can exploit existing vulnerabilities;

further notes that:

— any effective response must tackle these root causes alongside law enforcement measures, residents, community activists, youth workers and local organisations have repeatedly demonstrated leadership and courage in standing up to drug dealing and intimidation, often without adequate support or protection from the State;

— the Garda Drug Related Intimidation Reporting Programme and community-based initiatives such as Drug Related Intimidation and Violence Engagement (DRIVE) provide important mechanisms for responding to intimidation, but require greater investment, coordination and public awareness;

— tackling drug-related intimidation cannot be left to An Garda Síochána alone and requires a comprehensive, community-led response involving policing, addiction services, youth organisations, local authorities, schools and community representatives;

— restoring community safety requires both an uncompromising response to the criminal gangs responsible and sustained investment in the communities and families they target; and

— Local Community Safety Partnerships provide an important opportunity to put communities at the centre of tackling drug dealing, intimidation and violence, but must be backed by meaningful resources, clear responsibilities and measurable outcomes;

condemns:

— the criminal gangs and drug dealers who prey on vulnerable people, threaten families, recruit children into criminal activity and use violence to control communities;

— the use of drug debts as a means of extortion and coercion, including threats against innocent family members;

— the targeting of community workers, residents and others who challenge drug dealing and criminal behaviour; and

— the failure to ensure that every community affected by persistent drug-related criminality has the policing, public services and community supports necessary to confront it; and

calls on the Government to:

— launch a major crackdown on drug gangs and intimidation, providing dedicated Garda resources to identify, investigate and prosecute those responsible for drug dealing, extortion, threats and violence, and to target the finances and assets of organised criminal gangs;

— establish a comprehensive community-led response to drug-related intimidation, bringing together An Garda Síochána, local residents, community organisations, drug and alcohol task forces, local authorities, youth services and other statutory agencies to develop coordinated local action plans;

— increase the number of Gardaí being trained annually so that there are sufficient members available to tackle drug related intimidation and keep communities safe;

— place drug-related intimidation at the centre of Local Community Safety Partnerships, requiring targeted action plans in affected areas, with dedicated funding, meaningful community participation and clear accountability for delivery;

— strengthen the Garda Drug Related Intimidation Reporting Programme, providing specialist resources, greater public awareness, confidential reporting pathways, timely Garda intervention and effective protection for victims and their families;

— expand and fully resource the DRIVE programme, ensuring every community affected by drug-related intimidation has access to trained community workers, specialist family supports and coordinated Garda and community interventions;

— introduce dedicated community safety investment programmes in areas experiencing persistent drug dealing and intimidation, including additional community Gardaí, improved public spaces, youth facilities, sporting amenities and community-based services;

— provide immediate and practical protection for families targeted by drug gangs, including emergency accommodation, relocation where necessary, counselling, family support and access to appropriate legal assistance;

— develop a national programme to prevent the recruitment and exploitation of children and young people by drug gangs, including early intervention, outreach youth work, education, mentoring and targeted support for those at risk;

— provide sustainable, multiannual funding to frontline community organisations, recognising their central role in challenging drug-related intimidation, supporting families, building community resilience and creating safer neighbourhoods;

— strengthen accountability across Government, requiring the Ministers responsible for Justice, Health, Housing, Children and Community Development to deliver a coordinated response, with annual reporting to the Oireachtas on Garda enforcement, victim protection, community investment and progress in reducing drug-related intimidation; and

— commit to sustained, long-term investment in communities that have experienced persistent disadvantage, recognising that tackling drug-related intimidation requires not only effective policing but also action to reduce poverty, inequality and social exclusion and to expand access to education, employment, healthcare, housing, sport, recreation and community development opportunities.

Tá daoine feargach. Tá daoine scanraithe. Caithfidh na gardaí dul i ngleic go dian leis na dronganna drugaí. Drug debt intimidation is destroying lives. It is leaving individuals and families living in fear. People are angry and frightened and, in too many communities, people feel abandoned. The horrific murders in Waterford of Philip and Kim English and their sons Callum and Jayden shocked us all. I want to express my deepest condolences to the English family and send our best wishes to the two children who remain in hospital. What happened to the family was horrific. It is our duty as elected representatives to not only say such a thing must never happen again but to work to that end.

Many colleagues who will speak tonight have been supporting those dealing with drug debt intimidation for years. What they will tell us is what our communities have been telling us: the situation is getting worse, with increased fear, despair and violence, families forced to leave their homes in the dead of night, people who pay alleged drug debts for family members and tell no one and people who feel they can barely breathe because drug gangs are taking control of their communities and, in some cases, their lives. We are talking about homes being attacked, petrol bombed, vandalised; cars being burnt out; people being violently assaulted. We are talking about lives destroyed and, in some tragic cases, lives lost. Communities are asking when enough is enough.

Many victims feel they have no choice but to pay. The majority of instances go unreported because people are terrified to go to An Garda. There needs to be a public awareness campaign so people know where to turn if this happens to them. The supports need to be there for them when they do so. Support alone is not enough. There must a be a two-track approach: a long-term investment and focus on prevention that includes significant investment in tackling deprivation, poverty and inequality, combined with an immediate and determined crackdown on the criminal gangs responsible for this intimidation. There needs to be a particular focus on stopping young people being groomed by drug gangs into a life of criminality.

Right now, affected communities need high-visibility policing on their streets. That involves significant increases in community gardaí. There needs to be a concerted, sustained and resourced Garda operation cracking down on those involved in drug debt intimidation. Those engaged in this criminality have to be identified, arrested, prosecuted and imprisoned. We need to get these people off our streets and out of our communities. The Criminal Assets Bureau should establish a dedicated operation to identify and target those responsible for drug debt intimidation, seizing the assets of gangs and individuals who terrorise and communities.

While drug debt intimidation can affect anyone, we know working-class communities have been disproportionately impacted. That is why investment in these communities is so important. Communities need properly funded outreach workers, youth services, addiction supports and diversion programmes. They need practical supports, including investment in community safety measures such as CCTV. Communities deserve to feel safe and families deserve to live free from fear.

Those who think that they can hold entire communities to ransom through intimidation and violence must know that the full resources of the State will be deployed against them. I implore and plead with all Members of the House to support this Sinn Féin motion, but more importantly, to work together to put its provisions into effect....

[Click here to read the full debate on the Oireachtas website]

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